Then were the funerals of Alexander thought upon, whose body having been seven days neglected, was opened, and embalmed by the Egyptians; no sign of poison appearing, how great soever the suspicion might be. The charge of his burial was committed to Aridæus, one of the captains, who was two years preparing of a great and costly show, making a stately chariot, in which the corpse was laid; many corpses of his friends being laid in the ground, before that of Alexander was bestowed in Alexandria, a city of his own building in Egypt.

SECT. III.

The beginning of the Lamian war.

WHILST these things were in doing, or presently after, Antipater and Craterus, two principal noblemen, and inferior to none of Alexander's followers, if not greater than any of the rest, were busied in Greece with a war which the Athenians more bravely than wisely had begun in Alexander's life, but now did prosecute more boldly than before, upon the courage which they had taken by his death. Alexander, not long before he died, had commanded that all the banished Greeks (few excepted) should be restored unto their former places. He knew the factious quality of the Grecian estates, and therefore thought so to provide, that in every city he would have a sure party. But it fell out otherwise; for he lost the hearts of many more than he wan by this proud injunction. His pleasure indeed was fulfilled; yet not without great murmuring of the whole nation, as being against all order of law, and a beginning of open tyranny. The Athenians, greatly decayed in estate, but retaining more than was needful of their ancient spirits, forbade the execution of this decree in their dominions; so did also the Ætolians, who were valiant men, and inhabited a region well fortified by nature; yet neither of them took arms, but seemed to bear themselves as men that had done no more than they might well justify by reason; nevertheless, to prevent the worst, the Athenians gave secret instructions to Leosthenes, a captain of theirs, willing him to levy an army, but in his own name, and to keep it in a readiness

for their use. This was no hard thing for Leosthenes to do; great numbers of Greek soldiers being lately returned from the Asian war in poor estate, as defrauded of their pay by the captains. Of these he had gathered up eight thousand, when the certain news were brought of Alexander's death; at which time the city of Athens declared itself, and more honourably than wisely proclaimed open war against the Macedonians for the liberty of Greece. Hereupon Leosthenes drew in the Etolians and some other estates, gave battle to the Boeotians, who sided with Antipater, and overthrew them; growing so fast in reputation, and so strong in adherents, that Antipater (arming in all haste, yet suspecting his own strength) was fain to send into Asia to Craterus for succour.

Nothing is more vain than the fears and hopes of men, shunning or pursuing their destinies afar off, which deceive all mortal wisdom, even when they seem near at hand. One month was scarcely past, since nothing so heavily burdened the thoughts of Antipater as the return of Craterus into Macedon, which he then feared as death, but now desired as the most likely assurance of his life. Craterus, whom Alexander held as of all men the most assured unto him, was sent into Macedon, to convey home the old soldiers, (that was the pretence,) and to succeed Antipater in the government of Macedon and Greece. The suspicions were strong that he had a privy charge to put Antipater to death; neither did that which was commonly published sound much better; which was, that Antipater should be sent unto the king as captain of the young soldiers, newly to be levied in Europe: for Alexander was much incensed against him by his mother Olympias; and would sometimes give out speeches testifying his own jealousy and hatred of him; but yet he strove to smother it, which in a cruel prince betokeneth little good. Few of Alexander's lieutenants had escaped with life; most of them indeed were mean persons in regard of those who followed him in his Indian expedition, and were therefore, perhaps, removed, to make place for their betters. But if the king's

rigour was such, as could find rebellious purposes (for so he interpreted even lewd government) in base persons; little might Antipater hope for, who, having sitten viceroy ten years in the strongest part of the empire, was called away to the presence of so fell a master, and the envy of a court, wherein they had been his inferiors, which would now repine to see him their equal. Therefore, whether his fear drew him to prevention, working first the king's death by poison, given by his son Iolaus, Alexander's cupbearer; or whether it brake not forth until opportunity had changed it into the passion of revenge, which was cruelly performed by his son Cassander, great cause of much fear he had, which I note in this place as the ground of effects to be produced in very few years.

At the present Craterus was sent for, and all the captains of companies lying near solicited to make haste. Not without cause. For in Macedon there could not at that time be raised more than thirteen thousand foot, and six hundred horse; which muster was of raw soldiers, all the force of the country being emptied into Asia. The Thessalians indeed, who had long stood firm for Philip and Alexander, who also were the best horsemen of Greece, furnished him with very brave troops, that might have done great service, had their faith held out, which they changed for the liberty of Greece. With these forces did Antipater in Thessaly try the fortune of a battle with Leosthenes ; rather (as may seem) fearing the increase of his enemy's power and rebellion of the Greeks, (were they not checked at the first,) than presuming on his own strength. For Leosthenes had of Athenians, Ætolians, and mercenaries, two and twenty thousand foot, besides the assistance of many petty seigniories, and of some Illyrians and Thracians: of horse he brought into the field about two thousand and five hundred; but overstrong he was that way also, when once the Thessalians had revolted unto him. So Antipater lost the day; and his loss was such, that he neither was able to keep the field, nor to make a safe retreat into his own country; therefore he fled into the town of Lamia, which

was well fortified, and well provided of all things necessary to bear out a siege. Thither did Leosthenes follow him, present him battle again, and upon the refusal close up the town with earth-works and a wall. There will we leave him for a while, travelling in the last honourable enterprise that ever was undertaken by that great city of Athens.

SECT. IV.

How Perdiccas employed his army.

KING Aridæus living under the rule of Perdiccas, when all the princes were gone each to his own province, kept a naked court; all his greatness consisting in a bare title, supported by the strength of his protector, who cared not for him otherwise than to make use of him. Perdiccas had no province of his own peculiar, neither was he like to be welcome to any whom he should visit in his government. A stronger army than any of the rest he had, which he might easily hope, in that unsettled condition of things, to make better worth to him than many provinces could have been. The better to accomplish his desires, he closely sought the marriage of Cleopatra, the sister of Alexander; yet about the same time he either married Nicæa the daughter of Antipater, or made such love to her as blinded their eyes who did not somewhat narrowly search into his doings.

Ariarathes the Cappadocian, the second of that name, and tenth king of that country, had continued faithful to the Persian empire as long as it stood; following the example of his forefathers, even from Pharnaces the first that reigned in Cappadocia, who married Atossa, sister to the great Cyrus. Some of his ancestors had indeed been oppressed by the Persians; but what fortune took from them at one time, virtue restored at another; and their faithful princes had much increased all. But now in the fatal period of so great an empire, with much wisdom, and (Darius being slain) with sufficient honour, he might have acknowledged the Macedonian in the Persian's room. This he did not, neither did Alexander call him to account, being occu

pied with greater cares. But Perdiccas, who had no greater business wherein to entertain his army, found it expedient both for the honour of the empire to take in that inland kingdom, surrounded with provinces of the Macedonian conquest, and for his own particular to have one opportune place of sure retreat under the government of a steadfast friend. Therefore he entered Cappadocia, fought with Ariarathes, who drew into the field thirty thousand foot and fifteen thousand horse, (a strong army, had it not encountered a stronger and better trained,) won the victory, and thereby the whole kingdom. But with much cruelty did he use the victory; for having taken Ariarathes prisoner with many others, he crucified him, and as many of his kindred as he could light upon; and so delivered that province to Eumenes, whom of all men living he trusted most.

Another part of his forces he had committed to Python, rather as to the most honourable of such as remained about him, than as to the most assured. Python was to subdue the Greeks, rebelling in the high countries of Asia. Above twenty thousand foot and three thousand horse they were, (all old soldiers,) who, planted in colonies by Alexander, to bridle the barbarous nations, were soon weary of their unpleasant habitations and the rude people among whom they lived; and therefore took advantage of the present troubles to seek unto themselves a better fortune. Against these Python went, more desirous to make them his own, than to destroy them: which intent of his Perdiccas discovering, did both give him in charge to put all those rebels to the sword, giving the spoils of them to his soldiers, and further enjoined it unto Python's captains, (his own creatures,) that they should see this command executed. These directions for use of the victory might have proved needless, so uncertain was the victory itself. A captain of the rebels commanding over three thousand, corrupted by Python, did in the heat of the fight (which was very doubtful) retire without necessity to a hill not far off. This dismayed the rest, and gave the day to Python; who, being far enough from Perdiccas, offered composition to the vanquished, granting